Da Couch Tomato

An attempt at a new layout, with horrible glitches, and very minimal knowledge of HTML.

Cinema, television, literature, and music–basically anything that can be reviewed. If you're interested in writing reviews, e-mail us at dacouchtomato@gmail.com. We won't pay you for reviews, but you get to practise your writing skills. It's a win-win situation for everyone.

Although this film is in French and takes place in Monaco, it is not a purely French production. Focus Features, an American company, has a hand in it. That is why there are English-language references, such as Dirty Dancing, George Michael, and an English soundtrack. Also, The Walking Dead's Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) is also in it.

The female lead Juliette (Vanessa Paradis) might turn some people off because of the huge gap between her front teeth. You might be wondering why a big French superstar like her doesn't spend money on braces to bridge that gap as wide as the Amazon river. I believe the answer is character. Her gap tooth gives her character. She has probably grown accustomed to that gap that it has become a part of her. To bridge that gap is to cease becoming Vanessa Paradis. She and her gap are one. You get what I'm saying. When the French say "beautiful", they mean "flawed".

You'll know the "romantic" part of romantic comedy works when, despite having a not-so-pretty female lead (not so pretty only because of the gap tooth), you get that giddy feeling inside. This goes for both the Alex-Juliette love story, or the Mélanie-Marc married couple antics. This means the storytelling was effective, and the narrative tugged at your heartstrings, regardless of whether you had a crush on the girl in the first place. This means that, like the male character, you fell in love. Although it wouldn't hurt to still want to shag that nympho girl Sophie (Helena Noguerra).

And finally, Dirty Dancing. There must be something about this film if it's being referenced by the French. My girlfriend has been hounding me to watch it for quite a while now. And she didn't like it when I finally decided to watch it not because of her, but because I saw it in a French film.